West Indies force a thrilling draw
MUMBAI, Nov. 26 (Reuters) - West Indies snatched a thrilling draw
with the scores level after India failed to score the three runs they
needed for victory in the last over on a riveting final day of the third
and final test on Saturday.
Needing two runs to win off the last ball, Ravichandran Ashwin and
Varun Aaron scampered a single before Ashwin was run out while going
back for an improbable second run, with India finishing on 242 for nine.
It was only the second time that a test has been drawn with the scores
level. The other instance was when England failed to beat Zimbabwe in
Bulawayo in 1996.
Seventeen wickets fell on the Wankhede Stadium pitch, which was a
batting paradise on the first four days with both teams posting huge
first innings totals.
Spinners Pragyan Ojha and Ashwin forced a batting collapse in the
first session as West Indies were bundled out for 134 in their second
innings.
Half-centuries from Virender Sehwag (60) and Virat Kohli (63) put
India on course for victory and a 3-0 series whitewash as they chased a
target of 243 runs from 64 overs.
However, West Indies struck back by picking up crucial wickets during
the closing stages to halt India's progress.
Sehwag stroked a chancy 60 off 65 balls and added 82 runs for the
second wicket with Rahul Dravid (33) to launch India's charge towards
the target.
Sehwag, who was dropped three times, hit eight boundaries before he
was finally caught by West Indies captain Darren Sammy off leg-spinner
Devendra Bishoo while trying a cheeky reverse paddle sweep.
Dravid and Sachin Tendulkar (3) fell soon after in similar fashion,
trying to drive on the up against part-time off-spinner Marlon Samuels,
and were caught at short mid-wicket.
West Indies had a sniff of victory at that stage with India at 113
for four, but Vangipurappu Laxman (31) and Kohli steadied the ship with
a 52-run stand for the fifth wicket.
Kohli notched up his second fifty in the match with three boundaries
and a six and took his team close to the target but his dismissal, with
India still needing 19 runs to win, put the pressure back on India's
tailenders.
In the morning, the visiting batsmen, put under pressure by the
generous turn on offer, played some atrocious shots and helped India's
spinners give life to a match that had looked like ending in a draw for
the past two days.
Resuming on their overnight score of 81 for two, the tourists
succumbed meekly in just 95 minutes in the morning, losing their last
eight wickets in 23.2 overs as Ojha (6-47) and Ashwin (4-34) ran riot.
Left-arm spinner Ojha added four more wickets to his overnight tally
of two and bowled in an uninterrupted spell on the final day, extracting
good turn and bounce.
Ashwin, who notched his maiden test century on Friday, took four
wickets to add to his five-wicket haul in the first innings.
Kraigg Brathwaite (35) and first-innings centurion Darren Bravo (48)
added 61 for the third wicket, the only notable partnership in the
innings, but Braithwaite's dismissal in the fifth over of the morning
opened the floodgates.
West Indies lost their last eight wickets for 43 runs as Bravo,
Samuels, Carlton Baugh, Ravi Rampaul and Sammy all got out trying to
play attacking shots against the Indian spinners. SCOREBOARD
WEST INDIES -
1ST INNINGS (590 -
INDIA -
1ST INNINGS (482 -
WEST INDIES - 2ND INNINGS
A. Barath c Laxman b Ojha 03
K. Brathwaite c Tendulkar b Ojha 35
K. Edwards st Dhoni b Ojha 17
D. Bravo c and b Ojha 48
K. Powell lbw b Ashwin 11
M. Samuels st Dhoni b Ojha 00
C. Baugh b Ashwin 01
D. Sammy c Dhoni b Ashwin 10
R. Rampaul c Tendulkar b Ojha 00
F. Edwards not out 02
D. Bishoo lbw b Ashwin 00
Extras (b3, lb4) 07
Total (for all out; 57.2 overs) 134
Fall of wickets: 1-6 (Barath), 2-30 (K. Edwards)
3-91 (Brathwaite), 4-112 (Bravo)
5-112 (Samuels), 6-117 (Baugh)
7-120 (Powell), 8-129 (Rampaul)
9-134 (Sammy), 10-134 (Bishoo)
Bowling: Ojha 27-5-47-6
Sharma 8-2-15-0
Aaron 4-0-23-0
Ashwin 15.2-0-34-4
Sehwag 2-0-3-0
Tendulkar 1-0-5-0
INDIA - 2ND INNINGS
G. Gambhir c Sammy b F. Edwards 12
V. Sehwag c Sammy b Bishoo 60
R. Dravid c sub (Ramdin) b Samuels 33
S. Tendulkar C. K. Edwards b Samuels 03
V. Laxman c Barath b Rampaul 31
V. Kohli c Sammy b Bishoo 63
MS Dhoni c K. Edwards b Rampaul 13
R. Ashwin run out 14
I. Sharma b Rampaul 10
V. Aaron not out 02
Extras (nb1) 01
Total (for nine wickets; 64 overs) 242
Fall of wickets: 1-19 (Gambhir), 2-101 (Sehwag)
3-106 (Tendulkar), 4-113 (Dravid)
5-165 (Laxman), 6-189 (Dhoni)
7-224 (Kohli), 8-239 (Sharma), 9-242 (Ashwin)
Bowling: F. Edwards 7-2-28-1 (nb1)
Rampaul 16-1-56-3
Samuels 25-0-93-3
Bishoo 16-0-65-2
Result: Match drawn
Series result: India clinch three-Test series 2-0
Man of the match: R. Ashwin (IND)
Man of the series: R. Ashwin.o27srj07.ds (372) |